Our 40 Most Anticipated New Movies Coming in 2013

While Awards Season for 2012 films has just begun, we turn our sights forward to the promising slate of movies due out in 2013. Directors like Martin Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, Terrence Malick, J.J. Abrams, Richard Linklater and Joss Whedon all have new movies due out in the next 12 months. The following 40 movies are the ones we’re most excited about—not the ones that will necessarily have the biggest box office draws. They range from indie dramas to smart-looking popcorn blockbusters. They’re presented in calendar order, and we’ll update this list with trailers and release dates as they’re released.

1. Side EffectsRelease Date: Feb. 8 Director: Steven SoderberghStars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-JonesWhy We’re Excited: Oscar-winner Soderbergh has explored the effects of pharmaceuticals before in Traffic, but this time the drugs at the heart of this psychological thriller are of the legal variety.

3. The Place Beyond the PinesRelease Date: March 22Director: Derek CianfranceStars: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose ByrneWhy We’re Excited: Gosling plays a motorcyclist pressured to pull heists to support his son in this crime drama from the director of Blue Valentine, which also starred Gosling.

4. To the WonderRelease Date: April 12Director: Terrence MalickStars: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem, Rachel McAdamsWhy We’re Excited: Usually there’s a new president before there’s a new Malick film (he skipped Reagan and GHW Bush completely). But he’s got three projects that could see release this year, including this exploration of love with Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams.

6. Star Trek Into DarknessRelease Date: May 17Director: J.J. AbramsStars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict CumberbatchWhy We’re Excited: J.J. Abrams breathed new life into the franchise with its reboot, and now he’s given us another excuse to say the words “Benedict Cumberbatch” as our favorite Sherlock Holmes plays a rogue villain from Starfleet itself.

7. The Lone RangerRelease Date: May 31Director: Gore VerbinskiStars: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Helena Bonham Carter, Barry PepperWhy We’re Excited: Frankly we’re not so sure about a white guy playing Tonto, but Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski have made a great team in the past (Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango).

8. Only God ForgivesRelease Date: MayDirector: Nicolas Winding RefnStars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom BurkeWhy We’re Excited: We loved Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn’s last film with Ryan Gosling, and can’t wait to see them team up for this one, a film about a police lieutenant in Bangkok who fights a local gangster in a Thai-boxing match.

9. The GrandmasterRelease Date: SpringDirector: Wong Kar WaiStars: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang Why We’re Excited: Set in the 1930s, the latest from Wong Kar-wai (In The Mood For Love, 2046) features several of the director’s regulars, including Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and tells the story of the martial arts master who trailed Bruce Lee.

10. Much Ado About NothingRelease Date: June 7Director: Joss WhedonStars: Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Jillian MorgeseWhy We’re Excited: How do you followup an epic multi-superhero comicbook blockbuster that earned $600 million? A modern-day, black-and-white take on a Shakespeare comedy with the cast of Whedon’s TV series Angel, of course.